Unexpected Life
by x Lost Hero x
Summary: Skate AU fic. Plot taken from the movie "Gun Crazy." James goes home to Tennessee after spending four years in reform school and four years in the army. While home, he and his friends go to the carnival where he meets a girl with the same passion as him: shooting.
1. The Carnival

******Okay so this is the first fic I have written/published in over a year. It is the first LOST fic I have published in about two and a half years. I am a huge Jate fan but this is a Skate fic. The plot is taken directly from the 1950 film noir, "Gun Crazy" and applied to James and Kate. I would say that it is set in the 70's. Anyways, this was just bugging me and my friend Kait told me to write it and publish it so I am. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

He loved Tennessee. He always loved his home state. But he was sent away to the mountains to reform school for acting out; he was definitely a bad kid after his parents died. Being in and out of foster homes, James Ford stole from local businesses in rebellion. He was caught, at the age of 14, and sent away.

He was in the reform school in the Rockies until he turned 18. It was then that he decided to join the Army because he had nothing to lose. The guns were appealing too. That is what he stole when he was younger; he stole guns from shops, along with food and other small items. He didn't want to use the guns to hurt anyone though. No, James could never kill. He may have hated the man that tore his family apart, but he could never kill the man. The man killed his parents. He couldn't turn into Sawyer.

So, James was just fascinated with how guns worked. He was also fascinated with shooting inanimate objects. But actually shooting someone…no. That was not something that he would ever do in his life.

Coming home from the Army was probably the best day of his life. His two best friends from childhood were there to greet him. Miles was cop nowadays, married with a son. Hurley, on the other hand, was a journalist. The greeted him with open arms, eagerly asking him about the four years in reform school and the years in the Army. James amused them for the most of the afternoon and they went up to their old camping grounds to relax.

It was there, drinking beers, laughing and talking, that James was able to show Miles and Hurley his gun collection that he had gotten in the Army. He showed them off proudly, like they were his own children. Some were antiques while others were brand new, never used.

The cop and the journalist awed over the guns while James polished them gently. "The Army was definitely something…" he murmured to himself, putting the gun back in the case.

"You know what we should do to celebrate tonight?" Miles said, excited.

"What's that?" James asked, standing up and holding the gun case close to his body.

"We should go to the carnival! It is the last night for it before they pack up and go to the other city. Come on, we haven't been to a carnival in years!"

James smiled and nodded and the next thing he knew, they were all ready to go to the carnival. Walking around watching all the families and performers was something that James was mesmerized by. He completely forgot what it was like to be a normal citizen and he cherished the moments that he had now.

Hurley motioned towards one of the tents. "Let's go get popcorn and watch this show!" he exclaimed, abandoning his two friends like a little kid to rush to the popcorn stand.

James and Miles exchanged smirks before both running off after Hurley. The evening wind pushed James' blonde hair back as he was running and his gray eyes scanned the crowd, still watching.

After they had gotten popcorn, the men walked into the tent and sat down in the front row.

A few minutes after their arrival, the announcer walked up onto the small stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. May I present to you this evening, the gorgeous, dangerous, sharpshooter, Kate Austen!"

James and his friends clapped politely as Ms. Austen walked out onto the stage. Donning a cowgirl outfit, the announcer was not kidding; she really was gorgeous. Long brown curls cascaded down her back and her hips moved side to side seductively as she walked. She smiled to the crowd and James was almost certain that she caught his eye and winked at him.

But just as quickly as she smiled at him, Kate had turned around and started shooting at her targets. The first was a simple balloon on the board. Next was an object that her female assistant was holding. Then it was another round of balloons. This time though she shot at five balloons and did not hesitate in between each one.

She definitely had his attention throughout the entire show. Once she finished her spectacle (ending by shooting matches on the top of her assistant's head) Kate turned around and bowed to the same crowd. James clapped, a small smile on his face.

"Well, well, well. Katie here has put up a show for you men tonight. And now that he show is over, we would like to offer you men a challenge: beat the lovely Kate here at a shootout and you will win $500, double than what we usually offer. Lose, and you only pay us $50," the announcer said, smiling at the audience and at Kate.

Miles and Hurley smirked and nudged James. "$50. I have $10," Miles said, eagerly pulling the $10 bill out of his pocket.

"I have $20," Hurley offered, pulling a $20 bill out of his wallet.

"That means I would have to pay $20…" James said softly, shaking his head in a no fashion.

"C'mon, James! You like her. You can't keep her eyes off her. And you are the best shot in town. Just do it! What do you have to lose?" Miles prodded, nudging James in the ribs.

Sighing James pulled a $20 out of his wallet and nodded. "Fine," he said, gathering the money from his friends and standing up.

"Oh, I see we have a challenger here!" the announcer said, reaching for James' money. James stepped up on the stage, ran a hand through his hair, and glanced down at Kate.

"You ready to lose, sir?" she whispered.

"I dunno. Depends on how good of a shot you are against me," he replied back.

The two went back and forth, shooting at balloons. Kate didn't miss any and James didn't miss any. They stopped and Kate handed James the headband with the matches on top. He took it, put it on the top of his head, and walked back by the targets.

James stood there silently, holding his breath as Kate shot at him. One, two, three, four. She got four of the five matches. Aiming for the fifth one, she shot but missed.

James could hear Miles and Hurley gasp when she missed the shot. He took the headband off and walked over to where Kate was. She already had a new headband in her hand. "You're turn to be shot at, sweetheart. You scared?" he asked.

"As long as you don't aim low, I think I'll be okay," she replied back, putting the headband on and walking to the targets.

James stood there for a moment and aimed. A beat passed before one, two, three, four…five matches were lit.

Miles and Hurley cheered, standing up and smiling. They clapped for their friend and he turned around and smiled at them. Man, he sure did miss his friends.

Kate walked back from the target, the headband in her hand. She handed the headband to the announcer and then took her diamond ring off her right hand. "Your $500, sir," she said, handing him the ring. "Since we don't actually have the cash…"

James looked down at it and then at her. "I don't think this will fit me," he said, handing it back to her.

She looked at him and smiled softly, tucking a piece of her long curly hair behind her ear.

Miles and Hurley watched James, but James turned around to look at them. "You guys go on. I'll catch up with you in a minute," he said.

The two men got the hint and walked out of the tent.

"So, where did you learn to shoot?" Kate asked, sliding the ring back on her finger.

"The Army," James replied.

The announcer walked back over to them and smiled. "Good job, boy. You really are a good shot."

"Jack, we could definitely use him in our show, couldn't we? He needs a job after all. Having two shooters would be fun competition," Kate said.

"You know what…" Jack said with a smile. "You are right, Kate. Well, boy, do you want the job?"

James couldn't say no. He didn't have anyone in Tennessee besides Miles and Hurley and they already had families. "Yes!" he replied with a smile.

"Well, then. You are hired, Mr.," Jack paused, looking at James.

"Ford. James Ford."

"Mr. Ford. Welcome to the carnival."


	2. Midnight Talks

**I hope you guys are liking this story so far because I have been really liking writing it. Please review?**

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He had never been happier in his entire life. They always told him that guns were bad, that he was going to hurt someone. He tried to tell them that he didn't want to hurt anyone, but they never believed him. He just liked shooting and everyone thought that he meant that he liked shooting people, shooting things. But he didn't. Now, though, James had the job of his dreams. He was shooting every night with Kate, putting on a show for all the families.

It was exactly what he wanted to do. And he was so happy. And she was happy. She was beautiful. She was smiling every night when she was with him. No longer was she the cold girl that he saw the first night that he came to the carnival.

One night, somewhere in the Dakotas, James and Kate were talking. They were on their way to Montana. The summer show was going to end soon ad then they would have a month break before starting up their fall show.

"How did you get into shooting?" he asked her, taking a sip of his bourbon.

"My father showed me. He was in the Army, like you, and when he came home he showed me everything I know about guns and shooting. I was eight years old when he taught me how to shoot a gun," Kate said, taking a sip of her water.

"What did people think of that then? A girl knowing how to shoot."

"People thought I was weird. People didn't understand why my dad was teaching me that. They thought it would send me down the wrong road and I wouldn't be a housewife," Kate said, pausing. Then she laughed. "I guess they were right. Look at me. A shooting carnival cowgirl."

James laughed along with her and then looked out of the window of her moving trailer. Plains were passing by them at sixty miles an hour. "I never thought I would travel like this," he admitted, taking another drink of his bourbon.

"But you did travel with the Army. Wasn't that your plan all along?" she asked him, playing with her hair.

James looked at Kate and then shook his head. "No. I never really planned anything. I was moved from foster home to foster home when I was young and then stole shit from stores. Food, toiletries, candies, guns," he said nonchalantly.

"Guns?" Kate repeated, her green eyes wide with shock.

"Yeah."

"You stole guns when you were younger? Why?"

James sighed. "Because I had to protect myself. My parents weren't there. Nobody was there for me. I had to take care of myself."

"Have you ever shot anyone?" she whispered.

James shook his head. "No. I can't. I can't kill people."

"But you were in the Army!" Kate countered, taking a drink of water.

"Doesn't mean I killed anyone, Freckles."

It was the first time that he had called her that. But it took working with her for a couple of weeks to notice the freckles that dusted her cheeks and nose. And it was tonight, in the middle of nowhere with the moonlight shining through her trailer, to realize how beautiful she was. How the freckles enhanced her beauty.

"Freckles, huh? Is that my new name?" Kate asked with a soft smile.

"You bet it is," he replied, smirking. Then he tipped his glass and finished the bourbon, shaking his head when he swallowed. "Have you ever killed a man?" he asked, setting the glass on the vanity.

Kate stared at him, unresponsive. She took a drink of her water and then set the glass down softly, still looking at James. "Once," she finally admitted after a few beats of silence.

"Why?" James whispered.

"It was an accident. A bullet ricocheted off the target and hit him. It was in St. Louis a couple of years back. I couldn't stop crying for days. Jack stopped the show until I got my act together," Kate murmured, looking down at the ground.

"How long have you been working for Jackie boy anyways?" he asked.

"About six years now. I left home when I was 16. I loved my parents but I needed a change. School was boring. Teenagers were mean. I went to the carnival when it stopped in Iowa and met Jack. I did the one on one with the cowgirl then. I beat her. He saw how good I was an offered me a job. Got rid of the other girl a couple of months later," Kate replied.

"Doesn't like to keep people around long, does he?"

"Jack is a good man. He is greedy, but he is good. If it wasn't for the carnival I would still be in Iowa. Probably working at the diner with my mom."

"Well, it's a good thing he found you then, Freckles. I would sure be lonely without you on the road," James said with a laugh.

Kate smiled and finished her water. "Thanks, James."

"You're welcome. Now, we should probably get some sleep; we should be getting to Montana in the next couple of hours."

And with that, James stood up and walked the few steps to the couch, where he was going to sleep. Since they were moving he obviously couldn't go back to his own trailer. Kate got up from her chair and went over to her bed. She lay down and watched the fields pass through her window. "Goodnight, James," she said softly.

"Goodnight, Freckles."


	3. Suspicions

**I will probably update this fic once a day because, as of right now, I have 15 chapters written. Please review?**

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They got to Montana. They performed their usual routine with suspicious glances from Jack. Not much was said though between Jack and James as they traveled. James was making decent money, which he was saving to possibly buy a house back home. James did not know how long he was going to stay with the carnival, but he still wanted a home to go to during carnival breaks.

They traveled to Idaho. To Oregon. To California. To Nevada. To Utah. Then they had their month break, where James and Kate stayed together, much to Jack's dismay. James did not know why, but he had the feeling that Jack was jealous of him or angry with him for some reason. James did not let it bother him though because for once in his life he was happy and he was having fun.

He and Kate stayed up late talking about guns and trips they went on when they were younger and what they just really wanted to do after leaving the carnival. Kate was certain that she was going to be in the carnival for the rest of her life; she had a feeling that Jack was never going to fire her like he did to the cowgirl prior to Kate (who James later found out was named Juliet).

James sent postcards to Miles and Hurley and sent gifts to Miles' son. James told them that when the carnival got back to Tennessee they would have to stop by and say hey and bring the family. Hurley's wife was pregnant with their first child, a girl. James was so happy for him, for his family. Everything seemed to be going great.

The carnival started their fall tour a month after their summer one ended. Kate did not want to go back; she loved having all the time in the world to go to the beach and lie around and relax. James insisted that they go back.

"Without you, Jack will fire me. Freckles, I need the money," James said, finally convincing her to go back.

* * *

They drove to Austin, where the carnival was starting. During their month break, Kate decided to buy a car. James thought it was foolish but then he realized that they wouldn't have to be in the trailer anymore than they needed to. Still, he was glad that he had decided to save his money.

"Welcome back!" Jack greeted with a grin as Kate and James walked up to their boss. "How was your month off?" he asked Kate, turning to her.

"It was great! I wish we had longer breaks," she admitted, smiling at Jack.

"Well, dear, we have to make money," he said, turning on his heel and walking towards the trailers. "Come on now, you have to get ready for your first show back!"

James rolled his eyes as Kate followed Jack. He really did not like his manager but he just couldn't place his finger on the reasoning behind this hatred.

* * *

Four hours later and they were in the tent on the small stage. Donning their cowboy and cowgirl costumes, James and Kate playfully flirted on the stage while the shot the targets. They took turns shooting at the woman assistant; Jack had been too cheap to hire a male assistant for James to shoot.

Luckily there was an audience member that was brave enough to challenge James to a shoot off. Jack had James doing all the shoot offs since he beat Kate that first night. James easily beat the competitor and they won $50, which was split between Jack, Kate and James.

After the show James pocketed his measly $10 (Jack claimed since he was the boss he deserved the most, which was $25 and Kate, since she had been there longer than James, got $15) and walked back to his trailer to change. After changing he headed right to Kate's car without talking to anybody.

About a half an hour after James got to the car, Kate showed up.

"You ready to go?" she asked, putting the keys in the ignition and starting the car. Without waiting for James to reply she drove away from the closed up carnival and onto their next location: Dallas.

As she drove, Kate glared out the window. James noticed that her hands were shaking ever so slightly and she was driving extremely fast.

"Freckles, what's the matter?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Nothing. What makes you think that?" she replied after a moment.

"Well, if it ain't nothing then why the hell are you driving so damn fast? And why are your hands shakin' like that?" he asked, grabbing her right wrist to steady it while she drove.

Kate was silent. She glanced down at James' hand, which was still holding onto her wrist, and she sighed. "Jack's being an asshole. He doesn't like how you and I act on stage and he wants it to stop. He thinks we might be losing money."

"How in the hell would we be losing money by us play acting?" James asked, loosening his grip on Kate's wrist. He still held onto her though, not wanting to let go.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "He said that people might think that if they go against me and beat me, you will get angry and take it out on them. Shoot them or something."

James laughed. "You have got to be fucking kidding," he said, shaking his head. "Jackie boy knows nothin' about me. While I may like you, Freckles, I sure as hell would not kill somebody for beatin' you at a game."

"Well he seems to think that you are protective of me," Kate replied. Her hands had stopped shaking. She looked down at James' hand, which was still gripped around her wrist and she smiled to herself.

"Well I am protective of you. You're my lady, my partner in crime. If you were to get hurt I sure as hell would hurt whoever hurt you. But I'm not about to go and hurt someone because they beat you at a game."

Kate smiled when he called her his lady. "You know, James, you have a way with words."

James smirked and winked at her. "I know I do, Freckles. Now you, m'lady, need to focus on the road before you kill both of us," he said, gently kissing her hand before letting go of her wrist and rolling down the window.

Kate smiled again to herself, focusing on the road once more.


	4. Fights with Jack

They had been on the road again for three weeks when things started going downhill. Jack was becoming more and more impatient with James and Kate. He snapped at them even if they looked at each other the wrong way. All Jack cared about was making money.

The night that everything went to hell, they were in Raleigh, North Carolina. Kate and James arrived an hour before they were supposed to do their show, due to traffic. Jack was livid.

"Why the hell are you late?" he snapped in James' trailer as the shooter tried to get ready as fast as he could.

"Sorry, boss. Kate was driving as fast as she could but there was an accident on the highway and we couldn't go anywhere. It wasn't like we fucking did this on purpose," James snapped, zipping his pants, and going to grab his boots.

"Well you royally fucked up, James. You know that you guys are the best in the carnival and yet you don't give two shits about this show," Jack snapped, glaring down at James, who was sitting in a chair, buckling his boots.

James finished buckling his boots and the he quickly stood up. Now he and Jack were eye level and the two men stared at each other. "I don't give two shits about this show, Jackie boy?" James snarled.

"No, you don't. All you care about is Kate."

James wanted to punch Jack. He cared about Kate, yes, but they hadn't even kissed. They had spent so much time together since James joined the carnival, but none of it had been sexual. He cared about Kate as a friend. That was all…for now, at least. James thought Kate was attractive, no doubt, but he did not want to mix business with pleasure immediately.

"I care about Kate because she is a friend," James said, glaring at Jack. "We have never done anything and how dare you accuse us of that when you work our asses off so you can get your money."

Without waiting for Jack to reply, James turned and walked out of his trailer. He lot a cigarette and stood by the tent where they performed, trying to let go of his anger. He needed to be calm so that he could focus on the targets. He wanted to do well so that he could make money and save it for his house in Tennessee.

Right before the show, Kate was studying James intensively. "James, are you okay?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

"I'm fine, Freckles. Just had a talk with the boss before, that's all," he said, looking down at her. James forced a smile and then patted his gun gently before walking out on stage.

The show went on like normal. They made their shots. They beat the competitor. They made their money. After the show James went to his trailer and he changed before heading towards Kate's trailer.

On the way there though, a clown stopped him. "You going to Kate's trailer?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, buddy, I wouldn't go there now. Jack's having a nice little talk with her if you know what I mean," The clown then laughed and walked away.

James' heart started racing and he sprinted to her trailer. Busting the door open, he froze at the scene.

Jack had hold of both of Kate's arms and was holding her still while she struggled to get away. "Don't you even think about running, you little bitch. You can't run from me. I fucking own you," Jack growled, his face inches away from hers.

"Hey!" James exclaimed, running over to Jack and pulling him away from Kate. The southern man started punching Jack in his stomach in his groin, wherever he could reach. Jack groaned and then buckled to the ground.

Kate watched, shocked, rubbing her arms where Jack had a hold of them. Once James was certain Jack was not getting up off the floor for a minute, he turned to Kate and grabbed her hand. "C'mon!" he exclaimed, pulling her out of the trailer.

"Wait! My keys, James," she said, pulling her hand out of James' and turning to grab her keys. Then she started for the door again. She left the trailer and before James left he turned around to get one last look at Jack.

"You're both…fired," Jack gasped, holding onto his stomach and moaning.

James smirked. "Good luck trying to replace the best shooters in the Midwest," he said, shutting the trailer door behind him.

He ran to the car and got in the passenger seat. Kate had already started the car and the moment James shut his door she was speeding away from the carnival.

"Let me guess," she said, glancing at James. "He fired us, didn't he?"

"Damn right, Freckles," James said with a smirk.

"You should have waited until Wednesday to beat the shit out of him. I could have handled him. I've handled him before," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Why Wednesday?" he asked.

"Pay day," she replied with a laugh.

James laughed as well and the two of them drove away from Raleigh, not sure of their destination. But they didn't care at the current moment. James and Kate were relishing in the fact that they were free of Jack, free of endless shows, and free of traveling on a schedule.

They were now invincible.


	5. Traveling and Questions

They drove straight to Knoxville so that James could see Miles and Hurley. They crashed at Hurley's house for a day before filling up their car and heading on the road again.

They really did not know where they were going but they didn't care at the current moment. The only thing that matter was that they were together. Most of the drive was quiet except for a few words here and there.

"If you could live anywhere, where would it be?" James asked Kate.

"If you had to choose between a gun and your family, what would you choose?" she asked him.

They went back and forth asking questions for awhile. The pair drove through Indiana and Illinois and then finally got to Kate's home in Iowa, thirteen hours later.

Kate visited her mom and her dad, who were excited to see her. They asked how Kate and James met and Kate told them the story while talking about her years in the carnival.

The four adults were in the living room, a fire going behind Kate's father. It was dark in the room, for it was well past midnight.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, taking a sip of her tea. "I didn't mean to run away for so long. I just loved the carnival and I didn't know if you guys would let me come home," Kate said.

"Oh, sweetie," her mother said, hugging her daughter tightly. "None of that matters now. What matters is that you are safe. We love you. We have always loved you."

* * *

The next day, James and Kate were back on the road, this time James driving. They were heading further west to see the ocean because that is what Kate wanted to do. And whatever Kate wanted, James made sure she got. He even started dipping into his Tennessee house savings to buy her the luxurious jewelry and clothes that she said she needed.

They started staying at more expensive hotels. Pampering themselves with massages and manicures. James and Kate went out to expensive restaurants every once in awhile because again, that's what Kate wanted. And what Kate wanted, James gave her. He loved her. She loved him. Now that they were no longer working, he wasn't holding anything back. And Jack was right to be worried; Jack loved Kate but Kate never saw him as anything but a greedy man. Kate loved James and so Jack was threatened.

None of that matter though because they were young, they were in love, and they had everything they ever wanted. They subconsciously decided to go to California; that is where all of the young lovers went anyways.

On the way there though, they stopped in Phoenix.

"James, why are you getting off the highway?" Kate asked, glancing over at him.

"Because I want to show you something," he simply replied, a small smile on his face.

Kate eyed him nervously for a moment before signing. "Why can't you ever tell me what you are thinking?" she murmured, mainly to herself.

"If I told you what I was thinking then there wouldn't be any surprise, Freckles," James said with an even bigger grin, glancing over at Kate.

He drove for another twenty minutes before pulling up to the Phoenix courthouse. Parking the car he turned and watched as Kate's jaw dropped. She looked over at him, her jaw still hanging there. "Are you serious, James?" she asked in disbelief.

Still smiling, but not answering her question, James got out of the car and walked over to the passenger side where he let her out. "Are you serious right now?" she repeated, looking up into his gray eyes with her own green ones.

James simply nodded and took her hand gently. "I love you, Freckles. We make a great team. I don't want to lose you," he said quietly.

"James," she whispered, looking down at the ground.

"Freckles," he replied, grabbing her hand.

Kate looked up at him after a moment and then she smiled when he pulled out a small diamond ring.

"C'mon, Freckles. Marry me," he said, showing her the ring.

Kate looked at the small ring in his large hands and then looked into his eyes again. "Okay," she whispered, tearing clouding her vision. "Okay," Kate repeated, this time louder.

James smiled and kissed her lips and she kissed him back. A moment later their lips parted and James took Kate's hand, leading her into the courthouse.

An hour later the couple exited the courthouse, all smiles. The small diamond ring was a Kate's ring finger and her brown curls were bulled into a ponytail behind her. James was walking next to her, holding onto her hand tightly. They were married. They were going to be together forever.


	6. Unexpected Life

Everything was so unexpected. Flashback to when James was 14 and he would never say that when he was 24 he was going to be married and traveling across the United States. It was an unexpected life that he greeted him that night at the carnival and he didn't know what was going to happen next. That was probably the most exciting part of this unexpected life.

They had made it to California a couple of days after stopping in Phoenix. Kate was no longer Kate Austen but Kate Ford. At first she protested changing her last name, but James insisted. That was the only thing he wanted from her. Nothing else. So Kate did that because, after all, James treated her like a princess. She had everything she could have possibly wanted and more.

"What do you want to do today, Mrs. Ford?" James asked from the bed, eyes not leaving the paper he was reading. Freckles and Mrs. Ford were the only things he called her; he never called her Kate.

"Hm, I dunno, Mr. Ford. What would you like to do?" she asked, looking up from her toes that she was painting.

James finally looked up from the paper and at his wife. "We could go to the beach," he suggested, closing the newspaper and setting it on the nightstand next to him.

"That sounds like a wonderful plan, Mr. Ford," Kate replied with a smile. "Maybe after we go to the beach we can go shopping?" she added with a hopeful smile.

James stood up and walked over to where she was sitting, painting her toes. "Of course, m'lady," he replied, kissing her lips lovingly.

Kate kissed him back and when he pulled away a smile formed on her lips. "I should probably go change then, shouldn't I?" she said, finishing painting her toes quickly before standing up. Kate grabbed her bathing suit and rushed into the bathroom to change.

James stood there and watched her, mesmerized, just as he was the first night that he met her. Her long, brown, curly hair flew behind her as she ran into the bathroom and her hips swayed back and forth unintentionally being seductive.

While she was changing James changed and when she came out of the bathroom, James went right up to her and picked her up.

Kate giggled but wrapped her arms around him and James kissed her lips slowly, passionately. Kate moaned in response and James took her over to the bed where he set her down before laying on top of her.

He lay there, holding his wife, oh his wife, close. She nuzzled her face into his shoulder and sighed. James kissed the top of Kate's head once and then whispered, "Should we go to the beach now?"

Kate laughed and nodded, sitting up in the bed, the sheet wrapped around her torso. "Maybe we should go, but God, I love being here with you," she said, leaning down to kiss James' lips.

James smiled and kissed her back again before saying, "I love you, Freckles."

"I love you too."

Then Kate got out of the bed, the sheet wrapped around her body. She put her bathing suit and cover up back on, James watching her the entire time. "God, you are beautiful," he whispered, making her smile.

After she got dressed, Kate sat on the bed by James feet, poking them gently through the covers. "C'mon, lazy. Get dressed so we can go to the beach!"

James laughed. She certainly could be a little kid at times, but that is one of the many reasons that he loved her. He loved her beauty, her passion for guns, her humor, her seriousness, but also her ability to be playful at times. Being serious all the time was not something that James ever wanted in his life; he wanted to have a nice balance and Kate was exactly the balance that he had been looking for in his 24 years of life.

After a moment James got up and got dressed and five minutes later the couple was down at the beach. Kate had a hold of James' hand and pulled him down to the ocean and made him jump the waves with her. She laughed at him when he fell and to get back at her, James pulled her down under the waves with him.

The day was the relaxing day that they both needed. After spending a couple of hours at the beach, they walked down the boardwalk. Kate stopped in almost every store and asked James to buy her something. For the most part he bought her something small from every store that they went to, which made her squeal with delight and grab onto his arm, kissing his lips every time he swiped his card.

Later that night they went out to dinner at a seafood place and James made Kate try everything. The lobster, the scallops, the crab, the mussels, the oysters…everything. And she was mainly a good sport about it all, actually having enjoyed the crab and lobster. The mussels and the oysters were a completely different story though and James got a good laugh at her spitting them out in her cloth napkin.

And when he lay next to her that night in the hotel room, James couldn't stop smiling to himself. For once in his life, he was happy. He was wanted. He had someone to take care of. His unexpected life was turning out to be more perfect than the life he expected.


	7. Financial Problems

California was growing on James. Every day that passed, he fell more in love with the state and its gorgeousness. Kate loved the state just as much as he did. She spent her days lying out at the pool at their hotel or down at the beach (which was conveniently located just a few steps away from their hotel). He spent the days polishing his guns and spending time with her.

With each day that passed though, his savings account got smaller. He knew that their extravagant lifestyle was killing his hopes of having a house in Tennessee. But he loved her; she was his wife. He would do anything to make her happy, even if that meant spending all of his money from the carnival.

And Kate didn't know that James was almost broke. James didn't know what she would do once she found out either. Maybe it was better to tell her now than to wait when they went on another road trip and he had to buy gas. So, one afternoon after spending the morning at the beach, he decided to tell her of their financial situation.

"So, Freckles," he said slowly, nervously.

Kate was playing with her hair in the bathroom. "What's up, James?" she asked, leaning out the bathroom door, looking at him.

"We might have a little problem in a couple of days," James replied, glancing at her and then looking at the floor.

"What do you mean?" she asked, walking out of the bathroom. Kate walked over to James and stood in front of him, taking his hands in hers. "What do you mean we might have a problem in a couple of days?" she repeated, looking into his gray eyes.

James glanced down into her green eyes and just melted. They glittered from the light in the hotel room and she was just glowing, still glowing, after being married for a month. "Well we might have a financial situation," he said.

Kate raised her eyebrows and then gasped. "Don't tell me Jack knows where we are and is coming to come get his money even though we…I mean you, worked your ass off to get that money!" she explained, the glowing in her eyes turning into fire.

James laughed at her anger for a moment and then shook his head. "Oh, no. Jackie boy is not gonna find us. Ever. I can promise you that. He will never find us. He will never lay a finger on you ever again. You won't have any more bruises to cover up with make up. I won't let anyone lay a hand on you, Freckles," James reassured, hugging her tightly. He rubbed Kate's back and then kissed her forehead gently. "Nobody's gonna hurt you."

James felt Kate relax in the embrace and he kept rubbing her back while he broke the news to her. "We don't have that much money left from the carnival. I don't have that much money left. I dug into my house savings and now I'm almost out. I dunno what we are gonna do, Freckles," he whispered into her ear.

Kate pulled away from James and stared at him, shocked. "You're broke? We're broke?" she exclaimed, resting her head in her hands.

"Yes, Freckles. I'm sorry. I thought I had more money but I don't and I just can't afford all of this anymore. And just one job is not going to support the way we live right now," James explained quietly, reaching for her hands.

Kate backed away from him, shaking his head. "No, you don't understand. I have to live this lifestyle. I can't just change everything now."

"Now, sweetheart, we're gonna have to change something. We can't just live this life on the money that I am going to make," he said. "We need to sell things," James added, slowly looking down at the ring that was on Kate's ring finger.

Kate saw his gaze and then grabbed her left hand. "No! James, not the ring. Anything but the ring. I love it too much, I love you too much, to get rid of this ring," she said.

"Freckles, we have to. Just for a little bit. Once we get the money I'll get you an even better ring. How does that sound?" James compromised, pulling Kate into a hug. "Just the ring for now and then we can figure out what we are going to do, okay?"

Kate sighed and buried her head in James' chest, sobbing quietly. He sighed, wrapping his arms around her once more. "Kate," he said.

It was the first time he had called her Kate since he started calling her Freckles nine months ago.

Kate looked up when he said her name and she hiccupped. "Yeah?" she asked.

"The ring for now and that will be it. I'll get a job and we can save up and then either buy it back or I will buy you a brand new ring. A better ring. How does that sound?" he asked, hoping, praying, that she would agree.

Kate stared into his eyes and she slowly nodded. "That sounds okay," she whispered, cracking a small smile.

"Good. I love you," he said.

"I love you."

* * *

They went to the pawnshop down the street and Kate slowly took her ring off her finger when the man asked for it. James stood there and watched her sadly. He didn't want to sell the ring but they had to until he could get a job and start making money. He even sold his ring per her request. And after all, it was only fair.

Leaving the pawnshop, James watched as Kate rubbed her ring finger, frowning. "Freckles, I promise things will get better. A ring is just a symbol. It's just a symbol showing people that we married. We don't need a ring to show that we are married," he said.

She looked at him and nodded slowly. "I know. I know. That ring just meant everything to me. I never thought I would be here. Twenty-two and married to the most amazing guy I could ever find that has the same passions as me," she gushed, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I love you, James. More than you could ever imagine."

James smiled and kissed her lips gently. "I love you too, Mrs. Ford," he said.

Then James pulled away and took Kate's hand. "C'mon. Let's go find me a job," he said, starting down the sidewalk. The entire time James smiled to himself. Even though they were having money troubles, things would be okay. He just knew it.


	8. A Plan to Get Money

They had downgraded to a less expensive hotel about three miles from the beach. Kate hated every second of the "move" and tried to convince James to stay in the same hotel. Each time she bothered him about it though, he had to remind her that the only money that they had at the current moment was the money from pawning their wedding rings. And even that wasn't enough to last them awhile. When he told her that she groaned and turned moody.

James left her alone when she was moody and applied for jobs. Nobody contacted him though and after a couple of weeks he started getting desperate.

"I just don't know how much longer I am gonna be able to do this, Freckles," he admitted one night at dinner. They were in the hotel, eating pizza in front of the television.

"What do you mean?" she asked, setting her pizza on the paper plate and glancing over at him.

"I don't know how much longer I am going to be able to support us. I don't have a job and nobody is calling me back. I can't pretend that we are okay anymore. We might have to live in the car for a bit."

He hated saying it but he was terrified that it was true. They couldn't pay for the hotel and food anymore. They had to choose one. And James was not going to make his wife starve.

Kate stared at him, practically dumbfounded. "The car? James, we can stop eating as much," she reasoned. "I can't go without a bed."

"Freckles, we just might have to."

Kate frowned. She was silent for a moment, watching James. Then she said, "What if I came up with a plan to get the money that we need to live?"

James chuckled. "Mrs. Ford, I love you. But I don't think that you can think of a good enough plan that will allow us to have all the money that I want, and the money that you need, to live," he replied honestly.

"It's easy. We rob banks."

It was now James' turn to be silent. He stared at his wife in disbelief. He knew that she could be a bad influence. Hell, she had told him that one of the first nights they worked together. But he never dreamed that she would be suggesting that they steal from others in order to become rich.

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before she got him out of his trance. "James! James! Did you even hear me?" Kate asked, grabbing his arm and shaking it gently.

James shook his head and then looked at Kate. "Yeah. Yeah, I heard you, Kate," he said.

"James, what the fuck is wrong with you?" she asked, reaching to feel his cheek and forehead to see if he was hot. "You never call me Kate. What's the matter?" she asked, grabbing his hand.

James sighed and closed his eyes, not daring to see her reaction when he spoke. "I don't want to hurt people, Freckles. I don't want to rob banks and have people get hurt," he admitted.

Then he heard Kate sigh and he slowly opened his eyes. She was watching him with a sad look on her face. "Nobody will get hurt, James," she assured him.

"But you killed a man before."

Kate let go of his hand and glared at her husband. "That was during a show and that was a fucking accident. I fucking told you that, James. I thought you would know me better than that; we have been married for six months anyways and we've known each other nine months. I get that's not long at all, but you obviously trust me if you fucking married me. I thought you knew me better," she snapped, closing her eyes, tearing silently rolling down her cheeks now.

Now James felt like a total ass. He sighed and moved over to pull Kate into an embrace. He brushed the tears away with his thumb and kissed her nose gently. "I'm sorry, Freckles. I didn't mean it like that. I trust you. I love you. I don't want to hurt you. I just don't want to hurt anyone else either if we do rob banks," he explained, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head.

"We won't hurt anyone though," she said, glancing up at him. "You said it yourself a thousand times during our show; we are the best shooters in the Midwest. We can get the money without having to actually shoot anybody. And if they don't cooperate we can pretend to shoot at them but then end up being terrible shots. Doesn't that make sense? We can do this. We can make enough money to go back to Tennessee and settle down. We could start a family. Live a happy life. C'mon, James. We need the money. What do we have to lose?" Kate asked, resting her head back on his chest.

Stroking her hair, James thought about it for a few minutes. Kate didn't pester him; she knew better than to pester him after he snapped at her a thousand times when they worked together. Finally, after three minutes, James sighed. "Fine. We can rob banks. But you have to promise me that nobody gets hurt. Okay?"

Kate looked up at him and smiled even more. "I promise nobody will get hurt," she confirmed nodding her head and then kissing his cheek.

James smiled and then pulled her closer. "C'mere, you," he said, leaning down and kissing her lips passionately.

Kate kissed him back with just as much passion and held onto his tightly as James stood up and carried her to the bed.

Things were definitely about to get more interesting.


	9. The First Stint

Kate planned everything out, much to his surprise. She found the bank. She found them jobs so that they could get the layout of the bank easily than what they would have if they were clients at the bank.

James was actually glad that they were going to rob the banks because that meant that they would have to have jobs there before robbing it. They were slowly making money, which James decided to save it. He told Kate of his plans to save the money that they made from actually working and she thought it was a good idea as well. That way they could have somewhat of a backup plan if things didn't happen the way they were planning.

They worked on their first job for a good month. Slowly figuring out the layout of the bank, slowly saving the money for the Tennessee house so that they could settle down after making enough money from the stints. James let Kate do all of the work so that he could focus on other things. He focused on saving money and every once in awhile, when Kate was asleep, he drove to the nearby jewelry store to look at a new ring for Kate.

* * *

A month and a half after starting their plan, they were ready to put it to action. The night before robbing the bank, Kate sat on the dirty motel bed, polishing their guns. "Okay, you know the plan, right?" she asked James, looking up at him.

James was standing, pacing around the room. His hands ran through his hair and he looked down at her. "Yeah. I drive to the bank. You get out of the car and go into the bank. Walk right into the back. You shut the door and corner the manager. Get the keys for the safe deposit boxes and then get the money. You come outside and I will be right by the door waiting to go. Hope in the car and we are off," James explained, sitting on the bed next to her.

"Right," Kate said, nodding. "And this should only take us seven minutes at the most. We will be in and out in no time and the cops won't come until an hour after we leave. I'll make sure to threaten the manager to come back and kill him if he calls the cops before then," she said, matter-of-factly.

James hated threatening to kill the people that they were stealing from, but this first stint was Kate's plans. They were going to play by her rules this time; then they would play by his rules during the next stint. They had agreed to take turns planning the stints; it was only fair after all. And hell, they had a friendly competition going on. Whoever could steal the most money during a stint would be the winner and would choose where they get to go next. It was just a friendly game James knew that he was going to have fun trying to beat his wife.

"Then we will head upstate and get another shitty motel and sleep," James said, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

Kate looked at him and smiled. "Yes. Then the next day you can go and scope out the businesses and plan the next stint."

James smiled. "We're gonna be rich, Freckles," he said, kissing her lips.

She kissed him back, the smile permanently plastered on her face.

* * *

Their plan went exactly as planned. James drove Kate to the bank and then sat outside in the car, with the car still running, and waited for his wife. Five minutes later, two minutes earlier than he expected, she was calmly walking out of the bank. She glanced around the street once before hopping in the car, throwing the bag of money in the backseat.

James sped up, grinning over at his wife. "Everything went according to plan, I'm assuming," he said, turning back to focus on the road.

Kate glanced over at her husband and nodded. "Uh-huh. They didn't want to get hurt so they just quietly handed me the keys an sat there shocked while I took all the money," she replied with a smile.

"How much?" he asked, turning onto the highway so that they could go north to San Francisco.

"Just a couple thousand dollars. Nothing too extravagant. Maybe $5,000 at the most. I picked a small bank to start at since it was our first stint. I didn't want to get in over our heads," she explained, looking out the window.

James smiled to himself. $5,000, even though it wasn't as much as he thought, was still a lot of money. He could definitely put $1,000 away and use the other $4,000 for them to live off of until the next stint. He would just have to plan the next stint faster so that they could get more money. They couldn't take a month to plan. Maybe three weeks at most.

"$5,000 will be good for now. So, up to San Fran, Freckles?" he asked, looking back over at her and smiling still.

"San Fran it is, James," she replied.

With that he put his foot on the gas and sped off towards their next destination.


	10. Camping Out

Even though the drive to San Francisco was only five and a half hours, it took James and Kate two days to get there. About two hours from Los Angeles, Kate asked if they could camp for one night. James immediately agreed to camp. It was years since he had gone camping with Miles and Hurley. The last time he had gone camping with Miles and Hurley was right before he had been sent away to reform school.

With some of the money that they had from the stint, James and Kate bought a tent and a couple of other small camping supplies. They found a forest in Bakersfield, and by evening they had their tent set up and a fire going. They were literally in the middle of nowhere yet James knew this was where he wanted to be. It was stupid, cliché, but he really did think that Kate was the woman that he was supposed to be with.

She was sitting next to him, cooking the hotdogs that they had bought at the store earlier. "God, I missed camping," she said, turning the hotdogs over to cook the other side.

James looked at her. "When was the last time you went camping, Freckles?" he asked, taking a drink of the beer in his hand. He missed being able to relax in the woods. It wasn't where he felt at home, no, but it was somewhere that he felt comfortable no matter what the situation was.

"I think my dad took me camping last when I was 15. Right before I turned 16 and right before I ran away with the carnival. So, seven years," she said, taking the hot dog off the stick and putting it in a bun before giving it to James.

"Thanks," he said, taking a bite of the food. He washed the hotdog down with his beer and then sighed. "That's been about the same for me. Hurley and Miles and me went campin' right before I was sent to that god awful reform school."

"God awful?" Kate asked. James never talked about the reform school; he only mentioned that he had gone there. So hearing that it was god awful was something new.

James nodded and looked over at her. "Yeah. I mean, sure, I bounced around foster homes in Tennessee so I didn't have much back there, but that school was terrible. They were really strict and I felt like I didn't even need to be there. What I did was so minor that I felt…out of place," he explained, opening up about his past. He never told anyone about the reform school, not even Miles and Hurley. He just felt like it never needed to be talked about. It was in the past anyways.

"So minor? Mr. Ford, you stole a gun. That is grand larceny. Burglary. That is pretty serious stuff for a 14 year old," Kate replied, making herself her own hotdog and looking at him. "You can't tell me that burglary and grand larceny are nothing."

"Compared to murder? Kids murdering their family, their friends, complete strangers? Freckles, that place was a detention center. They sent us there to make sure we got an education. All juvenile records are sealed so nobody will know about their pasts. They go to this reform school until they become of age and then they go back to the real world and can get jobs. They literally get a free education for fucking up and then after four, three, two, or hell, one year, they are let back into the real world with the innocent people. It's not right. What I fucking did was minor compared to those assholes and I hated it."

"If you missed home so much, why didn't go straight home after getting out of the school?"

"I missed home but I knew there wasn't anything for me there. I figured everyone that knew me forgot about me. I knew that my love for guns wouldn't get me anywhere in Tennessee. I had to do something that would fulfill my passion for guns and I knew the Army was the only way I could get my passion fulfilled. So I said fuck Tennessee and I went to boot camp. And I have to say that joining boot camp was probably the best decision of my life," James said, staring off into the fire. The beer was in his hand but it was almost empty. James looked down at the can, took the last swig of the beer, and then threw the can onto the ground.

"Why was joining the Army the best decision of your life?" Kate asked, reaching for one of the beers herself. She cracked the can open and took a long gulp of beer. Then she looked at James, waiting for an answer.

"If I hadn't joined the Army, I would have been back in Tennessee for four years. If I hadn't just gotten home from the Army then I never would have come home when I did, which means that I never would have spent the time with Miles and Hurley and then we never would have gone to the carnival. I never would have met you. And if I never met you, I would be miserable. You get me. You know what it's like to be judged for your passion. You know what it's like to have people think you are bad because of what you love. And if I didn't meet you I dunno what I would be doing now, Freckles," James said.

He was being open. Telling her how he felt. He wanted Kate to know exactly how much he loved her and how much he wanted to be with her. Sometimes he thought that she didn't get it; sometimes he thought that he bought her too many material things. The material things didn't matter. It was the words that mattered. And James just wanted to make sure that she heard his words and understood him because he didn't think she heard that during her six years in the carnival.

There were tears streaming down her cheeks and she set her beer in the grass and moved closer to James. "James, I…" she murmured, at a loss for words.

James smiled because she got it. She understood. And that's all that mattered. "Shh. You don't have to say anything. I just want to make sure that you know that you are loved and no matter what, I am never going to leave you, Freckles," he said, hugging her and kissing her lips.

Maybe he overdid it sometimes. Maybe he told her how he felt too much. But seeing her reaction, seeing her speechless, smiling, made it all worth it.

Kate pulled away but stayed snuggled close to James, the fire keeping the two of them warm. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too."

They sat there in silence, but they didn't care. James tightened his grip around Kate and they sat there until she was almost falling asleep. And when she was falling asleep, he picked her up and carried her the few feet to the tent. Once he laid down next to her, Kate moved close to him, resting her head on his chest and sighing softly. James lay there, staring up at the ceiling of the tent, stroking her brown curls.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured to himself before falling asleep, a smile on his face.


	11. The Second Stint

They made it to San Francisco. They crashed in the car to save money and spent a couple of nights camping out since they now had the supplies. James worked endlessly on the plans for their second stint. He wanted to get out of San Francisco, and California for that matter, as quickly as possible. James found a bank that was bigger than the last one that they robbed. It wasn't the largest bank in San Francisco, but he did not feel comfortable robbing a huge establishment for their second stint. James figured that they could get at least $10,000 from this second stint, which was slightly reassuring.

He knew the layout of the bank within a week. He went there as a customer, not even bothering to try and get a job for himself or for Kate. It would be pointless. He spent a couple of nights up late, drawing the floor plan and marking where there were alarms.

James knew that Kate was getting restless, waiting for him to get this plan ready. She was pacing in front of their fire pit every day, bothering him constantly. "James, are you done yet?" she would ask him. It was just like having a small child with them, and James wasn't sure he would be able to deal with her if she kept acting that way.

And on the eighth day of figuring out the plan, he snapped at her.

"James, do you think the plan will be ready tomorrow? I need an actual shower and an actual bed," she complained.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Kate. Can you please shut up? I'm trying to get us $10,000 here. The least you can do is shut your fucking mouth and let me work," he snapped. And he was seriously pissed off; the only time he called her Kate now was when he was pissed off.

And then Kate left him alone. Four days later, his plan was finished. Five days later, they were back in the heart of San Francisco, crashing at a hotel, per Kate's request. James felt bad that he had snapped with her; after her snapped at her on that day, she ignored him until his plan was finished. He knew he should have kept his cool, but he was trying to win their competition. And if he wanted to win, he needed to make sure that he plan was flawless.

"Repeat the plan back to me, Mrs. Ford," he said.

"I am going to pull the car to the side of the bank. You are going to go in, go to the teller, and say that you have a large amount of money to be deposited. He'll have to call the manager. Then you pull out your gun when the manager comes and ask for the ley to the back. Threaten to shoot the customers if he doesn't give you the key. Go back and get the money, then come out to me and then we leave for the east again," she said, sitting on the bed with knees tucked under her chin. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun and she was wearing one of James' t-shirts.

James nodded and then lay on the bed next to her. "That's right. And then we should have a cool $10,000 to play with, m'lady," he said, rolling on his side and looking at her.

Kate smiled. "I like the sound of that, Mr. Ford," she said, lying next to him.

They then fell asleep, James holding onto Kate.

* * *

James gave Kate a quick kiss on the lips before getting out of the car. His gun was stashed in his jacket and his hand instinctively hid it from view. He walked into the bank, the door shutting loudly behind him. His hair was slicked back and he was wearing a suit jacket and jeans. Walking right up to the teller without any hesitation, James said, "Hello, I need to make a deposit of $20,000. Could you please get the manager?"

The teller stared at him for a second but then nodded. "Yes sir," the man said. Then the teller got up and walked to get the manager.

James turned around while waiting, and took in his surroundings. A young blonde mother (she didn't look any older than Kate) holding an infant no older than six months was sitting in one of the leather lounge chairs, looking at another one of the teller stations. James followed her gaze and his eyes landed upon a shorter blond man who was depositing money with another teller.

"Sir, what can I do for you today?" a new voice asked.

James turned around and looked at the manager. He pulled out the gun slowly and said, "I need the key to the back room. If you don't cooperate, I will shoot the mother," he whispered, jerking his head to the young mother in the chair.

"O-of course," the manager said. "Follow me. And please, you can put the gun away. I will cooperate."

"I'd rather not," James said curtly.

The manager nodded and then took James to the back room. The manager opened every single box that James asked him to open and James stuck all the money in the black backpack that he bought. Once all the money had been collected from the boxes, James said, "Now, you are not going to call the police until 2:30. An hour from now. And if you do call the police, I will come back here and I will kill you. Are we clear?"

The manager nodded nervously and James walked back out to the front of the bank, where the customers and tellers were huddled in a corner, shaking. James looked at the young mother, father, and baby. "You were lucky that the manager cooperated, girl," James said to her before walking out of the building.

Kate was there waiting for him and when he got into the car she sped off, not even waiting for him to close his door. Overall the stint took seven minutes. Two more minutes than what Kate's stint took.

"Ha, I beat you in time," she said, laughing as they sped off towards Nevada.

"Yeah, well I beat you in actual money," James said, opening the backpack.

Kate glanced over and saw the bills and her jaw dropped. "How much?" she asked, her eyes focusing on the road once more.

"$10,000. I told you I would make more money. So, where do you want to stay tonight? A five star hotel?" James asked, zipping the backpack closed and throwing it in the backseat.

"A five star hotel. Definitely," Kate replied, grinning.

"Then get us there, Freckles."


	12. Cross Country Travels

They drove all the way to Las Vegas. It took them almost a full day, and by the time they checked in Caesar's Palace, both James and Kate were ready to pass out. And that is exactly what they did.

About five hours later, James woke up. His body was tangled in the sheets, Kate's head resting right on his shoulder. His yawned and then blinked a couple of times, trying to get used to the sunlight that was coming into their room through the large bay window. James stretched his arms; Kate's head then fell gently onto the pillow underneath her.

He got up, scratching his bare chest. James walked over to they bay window, his boxers sticking to his sweaty legs. Glancing out the window, he stared down at the busy Strip. Yawning once more, James closed the curtains so Kate wouldn't wake up and then he headed into the bathroom, turning on the shower.

James was in the shower for less than five minutes before he was clean. He got out, wrapped a towel around his waist, and then walked back into the bedroom where Kate was still sleeping.

Dropping the towel at the edge of the bed, James climbed under the covers and cuddled up next to Kate. He wrapped his arms around her waist and then nuzzled her neck gently.

Kate stirred and then rolled over, facing James. "Mmm," she murmured, a smile forming on her face.

"Good morning, beautiful," James whispered, kissing her lips gently.

She kissed him back, cuddling even closer to him. "Good morning, handsome," she replied, burying her head in his chest.

He stroked her hair, staring up at the ceiling. "What's on the agenda today, Freckles?" he asked.

She sighed and yawned, rolling onto her back and away from James. "I just want a massage. Then we should probably get driving again. I don't want to rob Las Vegas. Too risky," Kate replied, moving onto her side, her head propped up on her hand.

James nodded. "That sounds like a good plan to me. Maybe we can head back east then," he replied, pushing his hair back.

Kate smiled, watching him. "God, I love you."

James returned the smile. "I love you too."

* * *

They spent the next month and a half driving cross-country. In that time they went to Phoenix (where they spent a couple of day because, after all, it was where they got married), Denver, Kansas City, and then Chicago. In the month and a half they managed to rob seven banks and get about $250,000. They weren't going lightly anymore. They were trying to get as many big banks in the cities as possible. Bigger bank meant more money. And more money made for a happy Kate.

They made it to Chicago in the middle of spring. It was finally getting warm out, so they spent a couple of days seeing the sights. It was James' turn to think of a plan again, so after the couple of days of sight seeing, he stayed in the hotel and devised a plan.

This was going to be the last stint too. He made Kate promise him that. James was tired of driving around the country; they had been driving around the country and robbing banks for almost a year. Nine months. Nine months since they were fired from the carnival and got married. It had been a year since James came home from the Army and met Kate. She was 23 now and he was 25. James was ready to try and settle down.

So James planned harder than he had planned before. This was the big one. They were going to get a million bucks off of this one. He was certain of it. Everything was meticulously planned. James got a job at the bank for Kate and himself. He scoped out all of the safety deposit boxes, all of the alarms…everything. It took them about two months to plan everything.

James was going to have Kate drive him to the bank on their payday. She was going to stay parked outside the bank, keeping an eye out for any cops while James would go in and pick up their paychecks. While in the back with the manager, he would pull his gun out and ask for the keys to the safety deposit boxes. Everything would go smoothly. They would have a million bucks and they would be able to retire.

Except everything didn't go smoothly.

Payday came. Kate drove James to the bank and he got out of the car while she waited. He walked inside, the gun hidden inside his coat pocket. James greeted his coworkers, going into the back to get the paychecks. As soon as he pulled the gun though and demanded for the safety deposit box keys, somebody shot from the lobby. The bullet ricocheted through the glass in the back office and James spun around to see who shot at him.

It was Kate.

"Freckles, what the hell do you think you are doing?" he snapped, bending down and grabbing the keys from the manager, who was laying on the ground after hearing the shots.

"Cops. We're surrounded. Someone tipped them off. I shot to get your attention. I'm sorry," she said nervously, looking around the lobby as she ran over to James.

"Who the fuck…?" James said, turning to look at the other employees. And then he saw him. He was a young guy. Fit, tall, with brown hair. Some scruff, but not much. If James remembered correctly, his name was Boone. "Sonofabitch."

James started towards the boxes and said, "Freckles, keep an eye on him. And if he tries to run…shoot."

Kate nodded and then headed closer to Boone, the gun aiming right at his chest. "You heard him," she said, a slight shake in her voice. "If you move, I shoot."

James kept an eye on the manager as he emptied all of the boxes into their bag. It was more than a million. Even though the cops were surrounding them, they had all the time in the world. And as James was filling the backpack, he realized that in his plan he fucked up. He forgot that the tellers had the emergency buttons under their desks. He wasn't hired as a teller so he overlooked that.

Shaking his head to himself he zipped the backpack and threw it over his shoulder. "C'mon, Freckles!" he yelled, turning to her.

James threw the keys to the manager before running to Kate, grabbing her hand, and leading her out the back way. There was one cop car, much to his surprise. James ducked as the cop shot at them and kept running.

Kate, who had stumbled, shot back.

"Freckles, no! Don't shoot! Just run. We don't hurt them, remember?" James yelled, doubling back to help Kate up and lead her to the closest car that they could find.

They hopped in the unlocked car (thank God for their luck) and James was able to hotwire it before speeding off.

They dodged a couple of the cop cars, but luckily the police did not have their descriptions yet and their car was parked out front.

"We should be okay for now. They don't know what care we are in and we got away from that one cop…why the fuck did you shoot at him?"

"I was scared. I didn't want to be shot at," she said, breathing heavily.

James groaned. "But we said we would never shoot," he said. Then James shook his head. "Nevermind. It doesn't matter. As long ad you didn't hit him we are good. We're done. This was it. We got more than a million bucks. We're set to settle down."

Kate nodded and grabbed his hand. "This is exactly what I have been waiting for," she said, smiling over at him.

James looked at her and smiled back, squeezing her hand gently. "It's time to start our lives."


	13. Running

"A man was shot and killed yesterday during a Chicago bank robbery," the announcer said on the television.

James, who was sitting on the hotel bed eating a piece of pizza, gasped. The piece of pizza fell onto the plate and he quickly stood up. "KATE!" he yelled, opening the bathroom door and barging in on her shower.

She turned around, quickly covering herself out of instinct. "What the fuck, James?" she snapped, turning off the water and reaching for a towel. Wrapping the towel around herself, she stepped out of the shower. "What the fuck did I do now that you are calling me Kate?" she asked, looking up at him.

"You killed a man, Freckles," he said quietly.

Kate stared at him in disbelief. "Yes, I know I did, James, but that was a couple of years ago and I told you-"

"No," he interrupted. "You killed a man during the robbery."

"What?" she asked.

James nodded. "The cop that was sitting out by the back door. The one that you shot at. You actually shot him and you killed him, Kate. You promised me that nobody would get hurt when we first started this but you killed him," he explained, looking down at her, disappointment in his eyes.

She looked down at the ground, not being able to look at him. "James, I didn't mean to. I swear to God I didn't mean to kill him," she said.

"Well then why did you shoot at him?" James snapped.

"Because I was scared! He was shooting at us and the one bullet almost hit you. It almost hit you. I couldn't lose you. I shot back in self-defense."

James chuckled harshly. "Self-defense," he said, still laughing. "Freckles, I know that's why you did it, but don't you hear how ridiculous that is going to sound to the cops, to a judge? 'Uh, yeah, we robbed a bank and a cop was shooting at us so I shot back in self-defense.' Freckles, they are gonna laugh at us. They are gonna laugh at you," he said softly, cupping her face in his hands. "I love you, I really do. But we had a promise and you broke it and now you are gonna get in trouble for robbery and murder and I am going to get in trouble for robbery. We're done for, Mrs. Ford."

Kate frowned and then walked past James into the bedroom. She turned off the television, which James had left on and started to change.

James walked into the bedroom after her and watched her. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Well, we need to get going, don't we? We're now gonna be on the run."

"Freckles, they still don't have our descriptions."

"James, are you stupid?" she exclaimed, throwing her wet towel on the bed. "Yes they do! We worked there! We left the manager alive and Boone, who was the one that pressed the alarm. They know who we are! We have to get out of here."

"Then what do you suggest that we do?" James asked, starting to panic. She was right. Her little slip up was going to cost them everything.

"We drive. We get a new car and we drive as afar away as we can. Maybe see if we can sneak out of the country."

"How do you expect us to get a new car?" he asked. "You are saying that we are wanted which means they have our sketches out and people are going to be looking for us. How are we supposed to get a new car?"

"We steal another one," Kate replied simply, throwing her clothes in a bag. She did the same thing with James' clothes and then looked at him. "C'mon, let's go. I'll drive."

James couldn't do anything else so he just followed her. "Are you sure you know what you are doing right now, Freckles?" he asked apprehensively.

She nodded, opening the trunk of the stolen car. She threw the bags in, shut the trunk, and then got in on the driver's side. James got in on the passenger's side and she sped off. "Yes, I know what I am doing," she assured him, getting on the highway to head south.

"How do you know what to do then?" he asked her, relaxing his feet on the dashboard.

Kate did not reply. She kept her eyes focused on the road, not answering his question.

After a few minutes, James became a mixture of annoyed and worried. "Freckles, how do you know how to do all of this?" he asked.

"I told you I was bad. You knew that. That man…I was scared," she whispered.

"What man? The cop? Yeah, baby, I know you were scared but-"

"Not that man. The man in St. Louis. When I was in the carnival. He tried to come onto me. I was 17. I got scared. I shot him. I killed him," Kate said. She said it with a straight face, with no emotion.

James looked over at her and his jaw dropped. He was married to a killer? Okay he knew that she had killed a man but she had told him it was an accident before this. But now that he realized he was married to someone who killed someone else intentionally…James couldn't wrap his mind around that fact. "You lied?" he said.

"I got scared when he came onto me. I heard stories for Juliet. From the other girls in the carnival. About guys coming onto them, about guys forcing themselves on the girl…about the men forcing them to have sex. I didn't want that to happen to me. It was self-defense, James, I swear. I shoot when I am scared…I kill when I am scared."

James stared at Kate and then looked out of the window, silent.

Kate drove on, not pestering him until about twenty minutes later. "James?" she asked softly. "James, are you mad at me? Are you upset? Do you not love me anymore?"

He turned and looked at her, sighing. "I love you, Kate. I will always love you. I just cannot believe you lied to me. I will protect you no matter what, but that doesn't mean I am saying that what you did when you were 17 or what you did now was right. I will love you and protect you and support you but you messed up. And I dunno how to look at you now. I married a killer."

"James," she said, looking over at him. Tears were racing down her cheeks.

He looked back at her. Her crying always tore him apart. "Not now, Kate. Just drive."

So she drove.


	14. New Rings

They drove nonstop for three days. The only time they stopped was to get gas and get food. They never ate a diner; instead they went through the drive-ins at fast food chains. After the three days they were in the mountains in New England. The couple figured they could camp out for a few days without being caught. So they went high up in the mountains, hid their car from view at the edge of the road, and then hiked for a good three hours before making camp.

"I don't know what we are going to do," James said honestly, turning and looked at Kate as they roasted hotdogs over the fire.

"We don't have to do anything, James. We can just keep traveling," she replied, looking over at him.

"We can't run forever, Freckles. I don't want to run forever. I want to settle down and have a family and be happy. I don't want to have to look over my shoulder for the feds for the rest of my life. I want to have kids. I want to live in Tennessee and sit by the pool in the summer and have fun. I don't want to run. I won't run for the rest of my life," James admitted, looking away from her and back at the fire.

He finished roasting his hotdog and then put t in the bun before starting to eat. Kate started eating he own hotdog. James watched Kate out of the corner of his eye. "Do you have any ideas of what we should do, Freckles?" he asked.

"I told you before, James. We should just keep running. And when we can, we get out of the country. Simple as that," Kate replied.

"No, Kate," James said, now getting angry. "I am not running. We need another plan. A better plan."

Kate then sighed. "Well, Mr. Ford, what do you think we should do? You are all this talk about not wanting to run but you haven't suggested any ideas on what we should do," she snapped back.

James looked at her and sighed. "We can't stay together, that's for sure," he said slowly. "We have to split up. I dunno for how long, but they have our descriptions by now and our names. A man and a woman together brings too much attention. We have to split up."

Kate frowned and averted his gaze. "You know I don't want to split up with you. I don't want to spend a day without you," she replied.

"But it won't be forever, Freckles. Just a couple of months. Maybe six months at the most. We just need to have people forget about what happened and then we can get together again and have that happily ever after that we both want," James explained, trying to look at Kate.

Kate continued to avert his gaze and remained silent. James moved closer to Kate, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek.

"Kate, please," he murmured, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Please just think about it. It's not going to be forever. I just want the heat to die down before we settle down. I don't want to go to jail and I know you don't want to go to jail. I promise you that it won't be more than six months. Can you live with that?" he said, holding Kate close and kissing her temple.

Kate sighed and buried her head in his chest. "I don't want to James," she protested.

"Baby, I know you don't want to but we have to. Please. What if…" James trailed off, looking at the fire. "What if we bought new rings before we split up? That way you will have something. It would be better than nothing."

Kate looked up at him and James saw the tears racing down her cheeks. Oh, how he hated when she cried. It wasn't because he thought that she was weak; he hated seeing her upset because of him. Sighing, James wiped away the tears like he had done many times before, and kissed her lips. She kissed him back and then pulled away a moment later. "Okay," she said softly.

"Okay to buy the rings and then make a plan to separate for six months?" he said.

"Yeah," Kate said, nodding.

"You promise, Freckles? You're not gonna get mad at me again?" he asked.

"I promise," she said, kissing his lips.

* * *

The next day they drove into town and went to the jewelry store. Each of them took turns in the store so that one of them could keep watch for the cops. Once Kate picked out the ring that she wanted, she left it with the employee and then James went in to pick out his ring and pay for them.

James exited the jewelry store after 10 minutes and then hopped in the waiting car. Kate sped off back towards the woods that they were camping in. Once they got back to the woods they hid and then started working on their plan.

James gave Kate the ring once they started working on the plan. He slid it on her finger and her face lit up. James then put his own ring on, and the weight felt weird to him at first. After five minutes though, it felt normal. And he was so happy to have a ring again.

As they worked on their plan, James saw Kate glancing down at her own ring, the smile permanently on her face.

After a couple of hours, they had the plan figured out. Feeling satisfied with themselves, James and Kate pitched a tent and then went to bed, stuck together like glue.

The next day, they had everything planned out. James got into the car on the driver's side, Kate sitting on the passenger side. They drove for about a half an hour, going into town. Kate kept an eye out for empty cars and then she finally said, "James, there!"

James pulled over and Kate climbed out of the car. She ran over to the driver's side where James rolled down the window.

"Promise me I am going to see you again," she said, looking into his gray eyes.

James looked into her green eyes and nodded. "Yes. Six months. In six months we will meet in Tennessee. At Hurley's. And then we will buy our house and live happily ever after," he assured her, taking Kate's face in his hands.

Kate smiled, blinking to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes. "I love you," she whispered, blinking again, the tears racing down her cheeks.

"I love you more," James said, wiping away the tears and then kissing her lips passionately. "Remember. It's only six months. We can do this, Freckles," he said, pulling away.

Kate nodded and then wiped her own tears away. Then she turned and headed to the car. She got inside, hotwired it, and then she was off towards the east. James turned his car around and headed west.

The entire drive, James fought back the tears. He knew that he could live without Kate for six months, but he didn't want to. It was going to be too hard. Sighing to himself, letting the tears fall, he prayed that the next six months would go by fast.


	15. Splitting Up

The next six months went by like a snail crossing the street. James drove all over the Midwest while Kate stayed on the east coast. And the days dragged on. James started drinking more. He hated being without Kate.

He called Hurley one night; he hadn't talked to his childhood friend since he and Kate visited Tennessee before they got married.

"James! What the hell have you been up to?" Hurley asked, the moment he answered the phones.

James laughed to himself and replied, "Oh nothing, Hurley. Just enjoying being married and traveling around the country."

Hurley gasped; James could hear something fall to the floor in the background. "You got married and didn't bother telling me?" Hurley exclaimed, screaming into the phone.

James pulled the phone away from his ear a couple of inches and he could still hear Hurley clear as day.

"Dude why did you not tell us? Why didn't you come home for a wedding? Why didn't you tell me?"

James slowly put the phone back up to his ear and he laughed. "It was a spur of the moment thing, Hurley. We got married in Phoenix about eleven months ago. We knew each other three months but you know when it feels right? It felt right, Hugo. And I couldn't lose her," James explained.

"Well, where are you guys now?" Hurley asked.

"I'm in Michigan. Kate…I'm not sure where she is," James replied.

"Wait, how do you not know where your wife is?" Hurley asked.

"We split up. We are kind of in a pickle, Hugo."

"A pickle?"

"You know, a situation. A problem. Kate and I…we were running out of money. So we turned to the extremes," James explained, pacing around his hotel room. He hated talking about this. Admitting it. Admitting that he was a criminal now. But he currently had more than a million dollars in his backpack sitting on the bed. He was scared that he was going get caught.

"What extremes? You didn't…you didn't kill people did you?" Hurley asked nervously.

"No! No. We just…it was her idea and it was a great idea at the beginning but it got out of control. It got so far out of control that we had to split up. We agreed to only split up for six months and then meet back in Tennessee. At your house actually. We just need people to forget that it happened. We need things to cool off."

"James, what the hell did you do?" Hurley asked.

"We robbed banks. Ended up stealing over a million dollars. We want to settle down and start a family, but things got sticky during our last stint."

"A MILLION DOLLARS?" Hurley screamed. James had to hold the phone away from his ear again.

"Yeah. A million dollars."

"Wait. And you said things got sticky…" Hurley said, trailing off.

"Kate killed someone. By accident. Now they are looking for us."

"Dude…"

James shook his head even though Hurley couldn't see him. "It's fucked up. I know. We split up to let things cool down. We are gonna get back together in six months and then move on. I just hope they forget and we can live happily ever after."

They talked for a little bit longer before they hung up.

James continued driving, bidding his time until he could go back to Tennessee and start over. He stayed all over the Midwest. He spent the day drinking and at night he would court women. Try to get them to sleep with him. But once they realized that he really just wanted someone to sleep with, cuddled up next to at night, instead of someone to have sex with, they left. All he wanted was a warm body next to him; all he wanted was Kate.

This was his life and as crazy as it was, as much as he missed his wife, he wouldn't change it for anything. James lay there at night staring at the ceiling. Hoping, praying, that the days would go by faster.

All he wanted was Kate.


	16. Meeting Up

He was in Cleveland, in a run down motel, when his room phone rang. Confused, he reached over from the bed and grabbed the phone. "Hello?" he asked.

"James?" a female voice asked.

"Freckles!" he exclaimed, holding the receiver closer to his face. "How did you get this number? How did you know where I was?" James asked.

"I called Hurley, James. I miss you. I know it hasn't been six months quite yet but I miss you and I want to see you again," Kate said, her voice cracking.

James frowned and stared at the ceiling. "Freckles, it's almost been six months. You can survive two more weeks. Then I promise you I will never leave your side," he said, lying down on the bed.

"James, I don't think I can last two more weeks. It's been five months. I think things are okay. I think they have given up. C'mon, James, two weeks won't make a difference, " Kate begged, her voice desperate.

James was silent as he thought about it. She was partially right. The news had died down. They could meet back up and settle down. He sighed. "Okay, Mrs. Ford I will see you at Hurley's in a week. Is that fair?" James replied.

"That is fair," she agreed. "I will see you in a week then, Mr. Ford. I love you."

"I love you."

And then she was gone. James placed the phone on the receiver and then lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her voice. He had missed her voice. And he missed her. He couldn't wait to see her, hold her kiss her. Out of the almost year that they had been married they had spent five months apart. It was too much for James and he knew that it was too much for her.

* * *

A week later, James pulled into Hurley's driveway. He didn't see another car so he assumed that Kate wasn't there yet. James went up on the porch and knocked on Hurley's door. Hurley's wife Libby greeted James.

"Oh, James! How are you?" Libby said, hugging him.

He had to admit that Libby was pretty. She wasn't anything like Kate, but she was tall and skinny and blonde and he didn't know how Hurley ended up with her. Pulling away from Libby and walking into the house, James smiled. "I'm fantastic. How are you?" he asked, following Libby into the kitchen.

Hurley was already sitting there, a cup of coffee in hand. "Dude!" he said, standing up. He walked over to James and pulled him into a hug and lifted James up off the ground. "Dude, thank God you are back!"

James laughed and hugged Hurley back and then Hurley put him down. Libby got James a cup of coffee and James sat across from his best friend. "How are you, Hugo?" he asked, taking a drink of the coffee.

Hurley smiled. "Fantastic. Ava just turned a year old a couple of months ago. And Libby just found out that she is pregnant again," he said.

James smiled. "That's fantastic!" he gushed, envious of them. It was silly to be envious. He had Kate and even though they had been separated for almost six month, they talked about having a family. James knew that it was going to happen soon.

They talked for about twenty more minutes and then they all heard a car pulling into the driveway. Without hesitating, James rushed out of the house and waited for Kate on the porch. And when she stepped out of the car and headed towards the porch, his jaw dropped.

Her hair was dyed blonde, and she had sunglasses covering her green eyes. Still, she was beautiful. And when Kate saw him, standing there, she ran over to him. James waited, with open arms.

Kate jumped into his arms and he didn't let go. James lifted her in the arm, his hand stroking her hair. She started crying, her tears leaving wet marks on his shirt. "Shh, don't cry, Kate. Shh. It's okay," he soothed, still stroking her hair. "Shh." Then James kissed her head as he set her back down on the ground.

Kate looked up at him, the tears racing down her cheeks. She was smiling though and oh God, how he missed that smile. James smiled down at her and then brushed the tears away. He kissed her lips gently, passionately, and then he took her hand. "Freckles, what the hell did you do to your hair?" he asked, laughing.

"Do you like it?" she asked, playing with a stray strand. "I was afraid I was gonna get recognized so I dyed it."

"You look so different," James said, opening the door and letting her into the house first. "I love it, but you look so different."

Kate smiled. "But different is good. I dunno. Now that things have cooled down I might dye it back to brown," she replied, squeezing his hand.

"Stay a blonde for a bit. You're sexy as a blonde."

* * *

A few hours later they were in the guest bedroom at Hurley's. Kate was already lying in bed, reading the newspaper. James was changing, having just come up from downstairs. He stripped down to his boxers and then crawled into bed next to Kate. He moved close to her, nuzzling his face in her blonde hair. "God, you smell so good," he murmured, kissing her neck.

Kate giggled and then closed the newspaper, turning to face James. She kissed his lips, her hands on his face. Pulling away slightly, she whispered, "God, I missed you," before going back to kiss him.

"I missed you more," he said, going to pull her shirt off.

Their bodies were raging with passion and after being separated for six months they never wanted to leave each other's side.


	17. Creating a Home

They stayed at Hurley's only for a day before checking in a hotel. That's where they stayed until they bough the house a couple of weeks later.

The house was a quaint southern home. Four bedrooms, three baths. A huge yard. Everything that both James and Kate wanted. Their backyard was also big enough for a swimming pool, Kate had pointed out. It was then that James knew that the swimming pool would be her next thing to constantly ask for.

They had settled into the house within a couple of weeks. James wasn't worried at all about the cops finding them; he trusted Hurley not to tell the cops what he did and all of the coverage had died down so James expected that they gave up on looking for the suspects. So, they had settled into home life.

James got a job at the local insurance company and Kate stayed at home. Some nights when James came home from work, Kate complained about being bored at home, but James assured her that she didn't need a job. He told her that if she wanted a family she needed to used to being at home all the time doing all of the housework. She took that excuse as fact and stopped complaining about being home all day.

* * *

They had been settled in the house for two months (married now for 15 months) when they got the news. Kate was pregnant. And they were over the moon. Granted they were a young couple, 23 and 25, but they knew that they could handle a family now. They had all the money in the world saved up, and James had a job to support them without dipping into their stolen funds. They had decided that their stolen funds would be for emergency use only.

James was over the moon. He was already planning in his head what he would do with his future son or daughter and what he would teach them once they got here. Nothing could kill his happiness. They told Hurley and Libby and the other couple was just as excited as they were. Since Hurley and Libby were about to have their second child, the two children would be close in age. Add with Ava, James' and Kate's baby would have friends to play with no matter what.

Kate and James started planning the nursery and going shopping for supplies. They dipped into their stolen funds a little bit, but it was nothing to be worried about. They spent evenings with Hurley and Libby, planning out play dates and talking about names.

Everything was going as they planned. The nursery was slowly coming together. On the weekends James and Kate would paint the room a bright yellow. She would tease him by getting paint of his back and James would tease Kate right back. This life that they had for themselves was wonderful. It was everything James had hoped for.

Until Miles came.

He had knocked on their door one Sunday morning. James and Kate had just finished breakfast and Kate, who was now six months pregnant, was cleaning up in the kitchen. James went to answer the door and when he saw Miles, he was surprised.

"Miles, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked, opening the door and gesturing for his friend to come in.

Miles was in uniform and he had a frown on his face. Once James had shut the door and clearly looked at his childhood best friend, he also frowned. James had a sinking feeling in his chest and he was starting to get nervous.

"James, we need to talk," Miles said simply.

"Of course," he replied, leading Miles into the kitchen.

Kate, who was putting her brown hair up into a bun, saw Miles and immediately starting making coffee. James was so happy that she was becoming the housewife that he wanted. He loved her to death. He loved how strong and independent she was. But he loved this new woman that she was turning into as well.

"So, Miles," James said, looking across the table at his friend. "Why are you here?"

"Oh I think we all know why I am here, James," Miles said, frowning. "I hate doing this to you because you are my best friend. But we both know that I am here because we both know that you robbed that Chicago bank."

Kate, who was putting the plates away, stared at James. He could see the fear in her eyes and how her hands were shaking just ever so slightly.

"What Chicago bank?"

"Dammit, James, don't fucking play games with me. I don't want to do this at all, but you know that I am going to have to arrest you and Kate. There's a warrant out for both of your arrests. You can't play house anymore."

"Miles, we aren't fucking playing house. We really are in love and married. We really are pregnant. It's not like we did this all on purpose so that we could get out of jail. We are happy together," James replied, taking a sip of the coffee.

Miles also took a sip of the coffee and then looked back at James. "Okay, so you guys really are in love. That doesn't matter though. You robbed a bank. You guys can cooperate with me and go to the station or I will have to arrest you. They know that you are here and it was only a matter of time before you guys were caught," he explained, looking away from James and over at Kate. Miles looked at her stomach, which definitely showed her pregnancy.

"Then you are gonna have to arrest us. I'm not leaving my house," James said, folding his arms and glaring at Miles.

Miles looked back at James and frowned. "James I really do not want to hurt you guys. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I know. You're just doing your damn job," James sighed, shaking his head.

Miles took a sip of his coffee. "This is really good, Kate," he complimented, turning to smile at her.

She glared at him, green eyes narrow. "Thanks," she snapped.

"Freckles," James said, looking at her.

Kate looked over at him. "What?" she asked, her eyes softening.

"Just drop it, okay?"

She nodded and then turned to continue to clean the kitchen.

"James, I don't want to do this at all but you are a criminal. I have to arrest you," Miles said.

"No!" Kate exclaimed, turning around again. "None of it was his idea, Miles. It was all my idea," she said, abandoning her cleaning and walking over to the table. She bent down next to Miles and looked up at him, arms extended, wrists up. "Don't arrest James. I am the one that told him to rob the bank and I am the one that killed the worker. Arrest me."

"Kate," James said, standing up.

She looked up at him, "No, James. Don't." Then she looked back at Miles. "Miles, arrest me. I'll go with you willingly. I know what I did and I take full responsibility for it. Arrest me."

Now Miles was hesitant. "Kate, are you sure? What you are admitting to is serious. You could be in jail for a long time. Are you sure?" he asked, looking down at her.

Kate nodded, tears forming in her eyes. James wanted to reach out for her, hold her and stop her tears, but he knew that he couldn't. "I'm sure, Miles," she replied.

Miles sighed, looked at James apologetically, and then stood up. He helped Kate up and then took out his handcuffs. Cuffing them on her wrists, he said, "Kate Ford, you are under arrest for murder and grand larceny. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law…" Miles said, continuing the Miranda rights. He walked Kate out of the house and to his car, James following behind them. He watched helplessly as Miles helped Kate into the backseat of the police car. James watched as Miles drove off with his wife, tears streaming down his cheeks as they exited the development.

He had to fix this.


	18. Visiting Kate

After they left, James rushed around the house, packing a bag of clothes. He hurried out to the car and hopped in, speeding off towards the police department. Thoughts racing as he drove, James didn't know what to do. Kate had taken the fullback lame. She was going to go to jail. He couldn't have her go to jail; she couldn't give birth in jail. Hell she just couldn't be in jail, period. James didn't know what he would do without her.

He got to the police station and quickly parked his car before rushing inside. "Miles!" James exclaimed, hurrying to Miles' desk.

Miles looked up from his paperwork and frowned again when he saw James. "She's in the interrogation room, confessing to everything. James, she is going to jail," Miles replied.

"Take me in there."

"James, I can't."

"Dammit, Miles. Take me in there so I can see my fucking wife," James snapped his gray eyes alive with fire in them.

Miles could see the anger in his eyes and he stood up. "Okay. But if you guys do anything stupid I am going to have to escort you out," he replied, leading James to the interrogation room.

When James walked inside the cold room, Kate immediately stood and ran over to his, wrapping her arms around her husband and burying her face in his chest. She started sobbing and James stroked her hair, quieting her.

"Shh, Freckles. Shh. Things are going to be okay," he whispered.

Kate buried her head into his chest harder and shook her head. "No, James. I am going to trial and then I am going to jail. I'm 23, six months pregnant, and going to jail. I love you so much but you can't do anything. There isn't a way out of this," she sobbed, looking up ay home, her green eyes glossed with tears.

James sighed and pushed her head back into his chest. He stroked her hair and glanced up at the ceiling. He wasn't a religious man but he said a prayer in his head. "Kate, baby, I promise you that I will work something out. I will get you out of here," he promised, kissing the top of her head.

"Before the baby?" she asked, pulling away from James and placing a hand on her protruding stomach.

"Before the baby," he promised, placing his hand over hers and kissing her lips softly.

* * *

Later that night he was sitting at their kitchen tables, papers and books, completely filling the space. Legal documents and law books lay around, and he was scatter brained, trying to figure out his wife's defense. She couldn't up in jail. They were starting a family and James was not about to be single father.

He pulled a couple of all-nighters to create Kate's defense. He visited her during the day, his heart breaking when he saw her in the orange jumpsuit, her stomach pushing out. When they talked, the receiver of the phone was pushed against her cheek and her hand was pressed up against the glass.

"James, you need to get me out of here," she said, her eyes tearing up.

His hand was pressed against the glass, mirroring her hand. "I know, Freckles. I know. I'm working on it. I am staying up late every night working on your defense," he replied, yawning. "I have been living on coffee for the past couple of days. I will get you out of here. You won't have the baby in here. I promised you that. And I am going to keep my promise."

They had decided to not find out the sex of the baby until it was born. James and Kate both wanted to be surprised.

Kate weakly smiled and then looked down at the desk. "I just hate being here. I take full responsibility for what I did, but I just can't be here. I need to be a wife, a mother," she whispered.

James frowned and closed his eyes. "I know you do, Freckles. And I want you here. I can't be a single dad. I told you I will get you out of here, even if it means not leaving the state for ten years," he replied.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Kate. So much. More than you could even imagine," James replied.

The guard was eyeing the couple, tapping his watch on his right wrist. The guard was short, his bald head reflecting off the lights.

James looked at the guard and then looked at Kate. "I think good ole' Locke over there wants me gone," he said with a laugh. James had spent so much time at the prison with his wife that he knew all the guards by their names by now.

Kate glanced at the guard and then looked back at James. "Go. I'll be fine. I'll see you later. I love you," she assured him, smiling again.

James nodded. "Okay. I will be back tomorrow or Wednesday. I love you," he said, taking his hand off of the glass and hanging up the phone. Then, slowly, he got up and walked out the prison, holding back his tears.


	19. New Beginnings

Kate's arraignment was held in September. She pled guilty to all of the counts that were being brought against her. It killed James to sit behind her and watch her say everything. He had told her that pleading guilty would be their best bet at a plea bargain and that would be the best bet of keeping her out of jail. She couldn't afford to go to jail; that is something that both of them decided. James decided to do everything in his power to have Kate stay out of jail.

So when she pled guilty and the court was adjourned, the prosecutor pulled Kate aside. They had the plea bargain meeting. They wanted Kate to spend five years and jail and another 10 on probation. Their lawyer looked at Kate and then at James. James was staring at Kate's stomach. Then he looked at their lawyer and shook his head. No. He couldn't afford to have Kate in jail for five years. The probation wasn't that big of a deal. The time in jail is what James was uncomfortable with.

So they spent an hour in the room, going back and forth. Their lawyer suggested no time in jail, 10 years probation. The prosecutors countered with a year in jail, still 10 years of probation.

"Look," the lawyer finally said after the hour. "Kate is seven months pregnant. She is married. She is starting a family. She needs to be there for her child and for her husband. No time in jail. Just probation. You think she is going to be a flight risk? She's not going to be. Ten years probation, no jail. That's our final offer. Do we have a deal or not?" he said, his Scottish accent sort of menacing.

The prosecutor sighed, running his hands through his gray hair. "Fine. Fine. You have a deal. But she can't leave the state during those ten years. I still think she is going to be a flight risk," he said, glancing at Kate with a dark look.

"Frank, I am a wife. I am going to be a mother. I'm not going to run. I have never run before. I accept everything that has happened and I just want to move on," Kate said, looking at Frank.

Frank nodded and then he drew up the paperwork with their lawyer so that Kate could sign it.

After everything was said and done, Kate was a free woman again. James shook the lawyer's hand with a wide smile. "Thank you so much, Desmond. You have saved us. You have saved our family," he said with a smile.

Desmond returned the smile. "You're welcome, brother," he said. Then Desmond turned to Kate and she hugged him tightly, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Thank you so much, Desmond. I don't know how to repay you," she said, smiling.

* * *

Roxanne Caitlin Ford was born on November 27. James fell in love with his daughter the moment he saw her. She was the spitting image of Kate, yet had blonde hair, inherited from her father. She was about 20 inches long and she was the most extraordinary thing James had ever seen. She was his daughter.

He had cried when he first saw Roxy; James wasn't afraid to admit it. He watched Kate hold their daughter, Roxy's small hand holding onto Kate's finger. James looked down at Kate and she looked up at him, tears glazing her eyes and that pearly white smile plastered on her face.

James couldn't believe everything that had happened in his life in the past two years. It was unexpected, sure, but he wouldn't change it for the world. Roxy was the new beginning that he and Kate needed after the robberies, after the trial.

And their life was perfect. James had his job at the insurance company. Kate, for the time being, was staying at home to take care of Roxy. James and Kate both agreed though that once Roxy was a year old Kate would get a job. She couldn't sit in the house anymore. She was going insane.

Things were fixed between Miles and James. James knew that Miles was doing the right thing by arresting Kate, so James couldn't stay mad at him for long.

But, after everything James had been through — the army, the carnival, the robberies — he knew that this is where he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be home, in Tennessee. He was supposed to be married to Kate. He was supposed to have a family with her.

James was the happiest man alive and forever grateful for his unexpected life and his new beginning, his daughter.


End file.
